Pneumatic padlock.



f'. J. GILROY. PNEUMATIC PADLOGK. APPLIOATIONIFILED MAY 25,1908.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

FRANK J. GILROY, OF BUFFALO, NEVJ YORK.

PNEUMATIC PADLOGK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 19110.

Application filed May 25, 1908. Serial No. 434,716.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. GILnoY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Padlocks, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to keyless locks adapted to be unlocked by meansof fluid under high pressure, such locks being especially adapted foruse upon cars which need not be unlocked except at points where plantscapable of supplying a large volume of fluid under the necessarypressure have been provided.

In spite of various locks and seals now in use, thefts from cars intransit or standing in yards cause a serious loss, much of which mightbe saved if the fastening devices were such that they cannot besuccessfully attacked while the car is in transit or at stations,without a great probability of attracting attention.

For illustration, I have shown the invention as embodied in a lock ofthe padlock type, or one provided with a shackle to be passed through astaple-like fastening upon the door which is to be secured or upon theparts surrounding such door.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a medial section of the novellock, the parts being in looking position. Fig. 2 is a section on theline 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the shackleof the lock freed from the devices which prevent its outward movement.Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a slide for closing a certain fluidinlet. Fig. is a section on the line 55, Fig. 4.

In these figures, A represents the body or casing of the lock, which ispreferably a single block of manganese steel having a central cavity Bto serve as a fluid pressure cylinder. The body is also provided with alateral opening 0 for admitting fluid to the lower part of the cylinderB, and also with two parallel cylindrical recesses to receive the armsof a-lock shackle D. The metal between the lower portions of theserecesses and the cylinder is cut away at E for purposes that willappear.

In the cylinder is placed a piston F the upper part of which is providedwith opposite pivoted arms F which when extended as in Fig. 2substantially fit the passages leading from the cylinder to the recessesfor the shackle and engage notches D in the latter to prevent itsoutward movement. The cylinder is closed by a piece G which is made asnearly non-removable as possible, for example, by brazing, or by atransverse rivet-like pin of chilled steel G. Within the cylinder is astrong spring H which resists the upward movement of the piston from theposition indicated in Fig. 2. If, however, fluid under high pressure isadmitted to the space beneath the piston through the small opening C,the piston is raised to the position shown in Fig. 3, and as it risescarrying the arms F with it, the latter are swung inward and withdrawnfrom the notches in the shackle by the impinging of their inclined uppersides upon the correspondingly inclined upper walls of the passages inwhich they lie, and the lock is free to slide downward with respect tothe shackle which is usually so held in a staple that it cannot itselfmove upward.

()ne arm of the shackle is preferably made longer than the other andprovided with a circumferential groove J near its lower end and with alongitudinal. groove J extending upward from the groove J to receive aprojection K from the wall of the passage in which the arm lies. If thelock be moved downward, with respect to the shackle, until theprojection K lies in the circumferential groove, the shorter arm of theshackle will be above the body of the lock and the lock may be turnedupon the longer arm, and the shackle may then be readily removed fromthe staple or the like in which it is inserted when in use. Preferably,the upper portion of the shackle is made non-cylindrical in crosssection to fit a correspondingly formed passage in the staple andprevent the look from swinging out to horizontal position when in use.

The aperture C is preferably conical at its outer end to receive theconical end of a flexible, fluid-carrying pipe, not shown, and isnormally covered by a vertical slide L, of downwardly decreasingthickness, working in a way on the side of the casing and having awedging action therein. The slide is raised when it is desired to admitfluid for opening the lock, and its detachment and loss are prevented bya projection L limiting its upward movement. When fluid is admitted, apart of it is allowed to llO ' that this should be effective, it isnecessary that the diameter of the cylinder should be much greater thanthat of the passage C.

WVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a lock casing and a shackle extending into thesame, of normally engaged shackle locking mechanism, within the casing,adapted to be disengaged by fluid under pressure, means for introducinginto the casing fluid under pressure to disengage said mechanism, and aspring within the casing opposing disengaging movement of saidmechanism.

2. The combination with a lock casing, of a piston in the casing, meansfor admitting fluid under pressure to one side of the piston, a springresisting the moving of the piston by fluid so admitted, a shackleextending into the casing, and a shackle locking device within thecasing arranged to be thrown into and out of engagement by the oppositemovements, respectively, of the piston.

3. The combination with a lock casing provided with parallel ways fortwo shackle arms, with an intermediate fluid pressure cylinder, with afluid admitting passage leading into one end portion of the cylinder,and with openings leading, respectively from the cylinder into saidways, of a shackle arranged to slide in said ways, a piston working insaid cylinder, shackle locking arms pivoted to the piston, normally inposition to lock the shackle, and arranged to move out of such positionwhen the piston is moved by admitted fluid, and a spring arranged toresist such movement of the piston.

4. The combination with a lock casing having a passage for admittingfluid under pressure and an external way for a sliding plate for closingsaid passage, of fluid operated shackle locking devices within thecasing, and a plate sliding in said way and adapted to close saidpassage by wedging action.

5. The combination with a lock casing consisting of a one-piece blockbored inward from its end to a suitable distance to form ways for ashackle and a cylinder for a piston and provided with a passage foradmitting fluid under pressure to one end of the cylinder and withopenings at some distance from that end leading from the cylinder tosaid ways, respectively, of a piston in said cylinder, a springresisting the movement of the piston away from said end, a closure fixedin the outer end of the cylinder, shackle locking arms pivoted to thepiston, projecting into said openings, respectively, and having theirupper sides normally inclined with respect to the upper walls of theopenings, and a shackle sliding in said ways and having its longer armprovided with a groove extending longitudinally and then at the free endof the arm circumferentially about the same, the corresponding way beingprovided with a projection extending into said groove, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. GILR O Y.

\Vitnesses XVALLAOE GREENE, R. CRAIG GREENE.

